US jurors resumed their deliberations on Tuesday in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex crimes trial, with the judge expressing concern that New York City's "astronomical spike" in Covid cases could disrupt proceedings.
Judge Alison Nathan was considering keeping the panel at work additional days this week as they weigh charges that could result in the British socialite spending the rest of her life behind bars.
"We now face a high and escalating risk" that jurors and other trial participants could contract Covid-19 and be forced to quarantine, Nathan said. "We're in a different place than we were two weeks ago."
The judge has already asked jurors to extend their daily schedule by one hour to 6 pm as the fast-spreading Omicron strain drives up case rates in New York City and around the world.
Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, is accused of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by disgraced late American financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The 12-person jury, which began considering Maxwell's fate on 20 December, resumed deliberations on Monday after a four-day holiday break.
US prosecutors argued that the daughter of former British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell was a knowing participant in the conduct of Epstein, who killed himself in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting his own sex crimes trial.
Maxwell did not testify but in a defiant statement to the court said prosecutors had failed to prove her guilt.
The jury must reach a unanimous decision on any of the six counts facing Maxwell if she is to be convicted. If they fail to reach unanimity on any of the charges, the judge could declare a mistrial.
Prosecutor Alison Moe has argued Maxwell was "the key" to Epstein's scheme of enticing young girls to give him massages, during which he would sexually abuse them.
Maxwell's defense team countered that there was a lack of evidence to convict and questioned the accusers' ability to recollect quarter-century-old events.
The team also argued that Maxwell was being used as a "scapegoat" for Epstein's crimes after he evaded justice.
